“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”- Pablo Picasso
For many, art is an escape from the world’s binding rules and conformist patterns . It is a paradise that allows artists to express their fears, desires, and passions free from the limitations of reality. We have seen throughout history, the exemplary artists shape the world they lived in through their artistic expression. Artists like Mozart, Van Gogh, and Da Vinci, some of the most intelligent and influential human beings of their time, revolutionized not only their art, but also their world.
The archetypal artist possesses the undying desire to transform something shapeless into something stimulating to our senses like music, visual art, or dance. However, an artist is not defined by his occupation, but by the extent of his motivation. Their drive often makes eccentric, introverted, and some times even crazy characters that are undeterred by the rules and standards of their society. Artists are the ultimate example of characters impulsively pursuing what they love without anything holding them back.
An artist's childhood usually begins in a serene and placid environment. However, their births usually come at a time requiring drastic change or restructuring. As artists mature, their promising artistic talents begin to thrive off their artistic passions. They begin to notice their uniqueness and some times consider their society as a limitation to their their creativity. As adults, artists reach the pinnacle of their talent, creating some of their best work despite some times being underappreciated by society. The artist as an elder find fulfillment through becoming mentors or sources of inspiration towards the next generation of artists. However, the recognition and popularity of the artist’s achievements usually do not come until much after their death. Fortunately, the great artists always leave behind an indelible mark that signifies their significance during their lifetime.
The artist archetype possesses the impulsive passions to stimulate and drastically alter the boring, conventional reality people live in.
Pygmalion
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Sidi Ahmed Sheikh
Sidi Ahmed Sheikh is one of the most obscure artists in world mythology. He was a saint who founded a village in Morocco in the thirteenth century, and he was well-known for being a wise philosopher and a gifted poet. Sidi Ahmed Sheikh was the one to discover the music coming from the palaces of the Muslim rulers. The ritual musicians of the palace, the Master Musicians, played on Tebel and Tariyya (the drums), Ghaita (a woodwind instrument), Lira (the flute), and Gimbri (a stringed instrument). The combination of rhythm and sequence transformed the audience into a hypnotic-like state. Both the villagers and the outsiders believe that the music has healing powers. Because of Sidi Ahmed Sheikh, a man who knew how to use his words powerfully, crowds of injured or ill people traveled to the village in order to hear the magic of the music. The music brought forth many customs, such as the dance for the goat-god Boulejoud. This special kind of entrancing music created an entire culture for one village, and it was all because of one amazing philosopher and poet. Sidi Ahmed Sheikh is an ideal archetype for the artist because he knew how to influence people with his behavior and his actions, which is exactly the goal an artist achieves when they present their work to an audience.
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English author well-known for her classic novels. Many of her novels are written about the characters finding romance in their life. The same thing happened to Jane Austen in her younger years, which are described in the fiction book Cassandra's Daughter and it is believed that several of her works are based on her experiences. Jane Austen is a perfect example of the artist archetype because she produces her works from her experiences, which is what an artist does. She was encouraged by her family to pursue her talent, which was not the case with plenty of successful artists. Even at a young age, Jane Austen had a wonderful gift of being able to convey true feelings through words.
Bert
Bert, the main supporting character from the movie Mary Poppins, is, in his own words “an artist of highest degree”. He is a ‘screever’, or an artist who makes images on the sidewalk with chalk and earning no pay. Bert does not hide his meager living, instead is proud of the pictures he creates. He is an artist for himself, not for fame and money, a common characteristic of the artist. Noticing the strict lifestyle that Mary Poppins and the children have to put up with at home, Bert takes them into the stories of one of his chalk paintings. The act of letting them experience this shows the power and vivacity behind the artists’ work, and gives us an understanding of why an artist fitting of the archetype would want others to see his work in the same way as he; as a story, not a still picture.
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Michelangelo= Michelangelo, the protagonist from The Agony and the Ecstasy, was known for designing the fresco ceilings of the Sistine chapel at a young age. As can be imagined, he was presented with many obstacles along the way. He was passionate, devoted, and in the archetypal style, gave his life to his work. At one point he destroyed his nearly completed work because it lacked absolute perfection. This is a clear example of his semblance to the classic artist.
Vincent Van Gogh
Marilyn Monroe painting by Andy Warhol
Andy WarholNicknamed the King of Pop Art, Andy Warhol proclaims his artistic talent spawns from drawing movie stars during long, lonely days recovering from a disease that caused skin pigmentation, thus isolating him from his peers. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Andy Warhol had a different perspective on life that resulted in his genius. Warhol falls under the eccentric part of the shadow artist archetype. He was obsessed with being rich and famous and people sometimes saw him as a sell-out. However, to call Warhol mad would be a complete and utter lie; that’s what set him apart from the usual shadow artist archetype.
Mozart
Hephaestus
Hephaestus,the god of fire and patron to craftsmen, is represented as the most human of all the gods. The only one of the gods who works, Hephaestus is also considered the most human because of his lameness. Because Hephaestus was thrown down the mountain by his parents when he was a baby, Hephaestus evokes the bitter, angry artist archetype. He spends his whole life taking his feelings of anger and bitterness and using them to inspire beautiful artwork. Hephaestus cannot truly be called an artist archetype because he is so much more. Artists are never truly understood, there is an air of mystery, but in Hephaestus case, the pain and heartbreak he feels shines through to the reader.
Templeton Reid, LLC. "Vincent Van Gogh Biography - His Life and Times." The Van Gogh Gallery. N.p., 17 Jan. 2008. Web. 23 Sept. 2009.
<http://www.vangoghgallery.com/misc/bio.html>.
The Artist
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”- Pablo Picasso
The archetypal artist possesses the undying desire to transform something shapeless into something stimulating to our senses like music, visual art, or dance. However, an artist is not defined by his occupation, but by the extent of his motivation. Their drive often makes eccentric, introverted, and some times even crazy characters that are undeterred by the rules and standards of their society. Artists are the ultimate example of characters impulsively pursuing what they love without anything holding them back.
An artist's childhood usually begins in a serene and placid environment. However, their births usually come at a time requiring drastic change or restructuring. As artists mature, their promising artistic talents begin to thrive off their artistic passions. They begin to notice their uniqueness and some times consider their society as a limitation to their their creativity. As adults, artists reach the pinnacle of their talent, creating some of their best work despite some times being underappreciated by society. The artist as an elder find fulfillment through becoming mentors or sources of inspiration towards the next generation of artists. However, the recognition and popularity of the artist’s achievements usually do not come until much after their death. Fortunately, the great artists always leave behind an indelible mark that signifies their significance during their lifetime.
The artist archetype possesses the impulsive passions to stimulate and drastically alter the boring, conventional reality people live in.
Pygmalion
----
Sidi Ahmed Sheikh
Sidi Ahmed Sheikh is one of the most obscure artists in world mythology. He was a saint who founded a village in Morocco in the thirteenth century, and he was well-known for being a wise philosopher and a gifted poet. Sidi Ahmed Sheikh was the one to discover the music coming from the palaces of the Muslim rulers. The ritual musicians of the palace, the Master Musicians, played on Tebel and Tariyya (the drums), Ghaita (a woodwind instrument), Lira (the flute), and Gimbri (a stringed instrument). The combination of rhythm and sequence transformed the audience into a hypnotic-like state. Both the villagers and the outsiders believe that the music has healing powers. Because of Sidi Ahmed Sheikh, a man who knew how to use his words powerfully, crowds of injured or ill people traveled to the village in order to hear the magic of the music. The music brought forth many customs, such as the dance for the goat-god Boulejoud. This special kind of entrancing music created an entire culture for one village, and it was all because of one amazing philosopher and poet. Sidi Ahmed Sheikh is an ideal archetype for the artist because he knew how to influence people with his behavior and his actions, which is exactly the goal an artist achieves when they present their work to an audience.
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English author well-known for her classic novels. Many of her novels are written about the characters finding romance in their life. The same thing happened to Jane Austen in her younger years, which are described in the fiction book Cassandra's Daughter and it is believed that several of her works are based on her experiences. Jane Austen is a perfect example of the artist archetype because she produces her works from her experiences, which is what an artist does. She was encouraged by her family to pursue her talent, which was not the case with plenty of successful artists. Even at a young age, Jane Austen had a wonderful gift of being able to convey true feelings through words.
Bert
Bert, the main supporting character from the movie Mary Poppins, is, in his own words “an artist of highest degree”. He is a ‘screever’, or an artist who makes images on the sidewalk with chalk and earning no pay. Bert does not hide his meager living, instead is proud of the pictures he creates. He is an artist for himself, not for fame and money, a common characteristic of the artist. Noticing the strict lifestyle that Mary Poppins and the children have to put up with at home, Bert takes them into the stories of one of his chalk paintings. The act of letting them experience this shows the power and vivacity behind the artists’ work, and gives us an understanding of why an artist fitting of the archetype would want others to see his work in the same way as he; as a story, not a still picture.
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Michelangelo=
Vincent Van Gogh
Andy WarholNicknamed the King of Pop Art, Andy Warhol proclaims his artistic talent spawns from drawing movie stars during long, lonely days recovering from a disease that caused skin pigmentation, thus isolating him from his peers. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Andy Warhol had a different perspective on life that resulted in his genius. Warhol falls under the eccentric part of the shadow artist archetype. He was obsessed with being rich and famous and people sometimes saw him as a sell-out. However, to call Warhol mad would be a complete and utter lie; that’s what set him apart from the usual shadow artist archetype.
Mozart
Hephaestus
Hephaestus,the god of fire and patron to craftsmen, is represented as the most human of all the gods. The only one of the gods who works, Hephaestus is also considered the most human because of his lameness. Because Hephaestus was thrown down the mountain by his parents when he was a baby, Hephaestus evokes the bitter, angry artist archetype. He spends his whole life taking his feelings of anger and bitterness and using them to inspire beautiful artwork. Hephaestus cannot truly be called an artist archetype because he is so much more. Artists are never truly understood, there is an air of mystery, but in Hephaestus case, the pain and heartbreak he feels shines through to the reader.----
Research Link:http://docs.google.com/View?id=d8wzkcz_0d58mmjdm
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